Time Period: World War II
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Type: Trainer Aircraft, Fighter Aircraft, Bomber Aircraft
Manufacturer: Avro Aircraft
Avro 504 Aircraft Overview
The Avro 504 was a British biplane aircraft developed by A.V. Roe and Company (later known as Avro) during World War I. It was primarily used as a trainer aircraft, but was also used for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and other roles.
The Avro 504 first entered service in 1913, and was one of the most widely used aircraft of the war. It featured a wooden frame and was powered by a variety of engines, including the 80-horsepower Gnome rotary engine, the 90-horsepower RAF 1a air-cooled inline engine, and the 100-horsepower Le Rhône rotary engine. Later versions of the aircraft were also equipped with more powerful engines.
The Avro 504 was armed with a single .303 inch (7.7 mm) Lewis machine gun mounted on the rear cockpit, and was also capable of carrying up to 112 lb (51 kg) of bombs or other equipment. However, its primary role was as a trainer aircraft, and it was used to train thousands of British pilots during World War I.
After the war, the Avro 504 remained in service with the RAF and other air forces around the world, and was also used for civilian purposes such as aerial surveying and crop dusting. A total of around 8,000 Avro 504 aircraft were built, with production continuing until the mid-1930s. The aircraft played an important role in the development of British aviation, and was a key part of the RAF’s training program for many years.
Avro 504 Specifications
- Crew: 2
- Length: 29 ft 5 in (8.97 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
- Height: 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m)
- Wing area: 330 sq ft (31 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,231 lb (558 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,829 lb (830 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 25.5 imp gal (31 US gal; 116 l) fuel; 6 imp gal (7 US gal; 27 l) castor oil
- Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9J 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 110 hp (82 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Avro fixed-pitch wooden propeller, 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) diameter 8 ft 8 in (2.6 m) pitch.
Avro 504 Armament
- 1 fixed .303 Lewis atop upper wing (single-seat night fighter variants).
Avro 504 Performance
- Maximum speed: 95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn) at sea level. 87 mph (76 kn; 140 km/h) at 8,000 ft (2,438 m). 85 mph (74 kn; 137 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,048 m).
- Cruise speed: 74 mph (119 km/h, 64 kn) at 75% power at 8,000 ft (2,438 m). 71 mph (62 kn; 114 km/h) at 75% power at 10,000 ft (3,048 m).
- Stall speed: 40 mph (64 km/h, 35 kn)
- Range: 250 mi (400 km, 220 nmi)
- Endurance: 2 hours at sea level at maximum speed, 2 hours 8 minutes at 8,000 ft (2,438 m) at maximum speed, 3 hours at 10,000 ft (3,048 m) at maximum speed, 3 hours 42 minutes at 8,000 ft (2,438 m) at cruise speed, 4 hours 15 minutes at 10,000 ft (3,048 m) at cruise speed.
- Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,900 m)
- Rate of climb: 700 ft/min (3.6 m/s)
- Time to altitude: 3,500 ft (1,067 m) in 5 minutes. 8,000 ft (2,438 m) in 10 minutes
- 10,000 ft (3,048 m) in 16 minutes.
- Wing loading: 5.54 lb/sq ft (27.0 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.06 hp/lb (0.099 kW/kg)
